Examples of Cybersecurity Threats
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Examples of Cybersecurity Threats
Many common missteps in data security can lead to any of the leading examples of cybersecurity threats.
Today, you probably commonly share personal data, such as your address, name, Social Security Number, financial account details, and more, with many different companies and organizations. You may have done everything possible to responsibly protect this information on your own computer and phone, but this does not account for the fact that other companies may also be collecting, storing, and using this data.
When you give over your data to other companies or individuals, there is always a risk that an outside party could attempt to bypass their security and gather and use your data. For these reasons, it can be said that consumers today face many different examples of cybersecurity threats. While examples of cyber security threats may vary in terms of their depth, scope, and impact on a person's life, all of them should be taken seriously. Some of these may even become the basis of a class action lawsuit against an organization or entity that should have done more in order to prevent data breaches or other privacy issues.
As a consumer or even as a business owner, recognizing the most common examples of cybersecurity threats is crucial for doing everything you can to protect your personal data.
For those consumers whose information may have been leaked in a data breach or otherwise exposed to unnecessary risks, they may have grounds to pursue compensation and hold negligent companies accountable.
In most cases involving serious data breaches or high volumes of personally identifying information getting leaked, the company responsible must report the breach to affected consumers. However, this information usually includes general details about the breach itself and may not give consumers enough insight to determine what specifically happened to their information or what led to the leak of their private details to begin with.
At Morgan & Morgan, we have experienced consumer protection lawyers who will do everything possible to help you hold these companies responsible and to potentially recover compensation on your behalf when your information has been released due to poor security protocols. We have handled many cases like this before and work as hard as possible on behalf of victims, which has earned us a reputation across the country as the nation’s largest personal injury firm that fights For the People.
If you have been the subject of a data breach or cybersecurity attack, contact Morgan & Morgan today to learn more about your legal options with a free, no-obligation case evaluation.
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How Do Criminals Get Access to a Network or Computer Server?
There are several different paths that a cybercriminal can use to access a network server or an individual computer. This is known as an attack vector and can vary from one type of cybersecurity attack to another.
Some of the most common examples of how cybersecurity threats gain access to your information include:
- Email or web attacks
- Brute force attacks
- Trial and error to decode any encrypted data
- Removable materials such as flash drives
- Theft or loss of devices with confidential information inside
- Unauthorized use of an organization's systems' privileges
All financial institutions should develop clear cybersecurity policies, but it is important to note that small, medium, and large-sized businesses of any type and in any sector can be exposed to cybersecurity risks.
Which Types of Cyber Threats Are Most Likely to Occur?
There are many different examples of cybersecurity threats, and not all of these look the same. Some people may be familiar with basic examples, such as spam and phishing, in which someone has sent an email requesting confidential information, posing as a legitimate institution, or when someone is encouraged to click on a link that takes them somewhere else to enter their details. However, there are many different types of cybersecurity threats, including ransomware, malware, corporate account takeovers, ATM cashouts, and distributed denial of service attacks. Each of these comes with different possible consequences and can be extremely harmful.
Spam and phishing include unsolicited, unwanted, or undesirable emails or messages. Phishing is known as a type of social engineering because the primary purpose is to get a person to give up sensitive information. In most cases, cybercriminals pretend to be official representatives of an agency, organization, or financial institution and send you messages about warnings related to your overall account. The purpose is for them to gather information that may be used to further breach other details.
Ransomware limits or prevents users from accessing their systems via the installation of malware. Usually, this is held for ransom, meaning that the company must pay to get access to their data or system back. Sometimes, this can include cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoin.
Increasingly, ransomware is one of the most common examples of cybersecurity threats. One of ransomware’s biggest challenges for companies is that it's very hard to detect until it is too late, and ransomware techniques are constantly evolving. New prevention efforts are critical for minimizing the risk of ransomware.
Malware is another common problem, which is known as malicious software. The purpose of installing this onto a computer is to impact the availability, confidentiality, or integrity of data. It can be done quietly and can easily affect an entire operating system, individual application, or data. It is one of the most serious external threats to many different types of systems because of the significant disruption and damage that it can cause. Spyware is a malware program that is intended to violate privacy and has increasingly become a serious concern for organizations. Spyware invades numerous systems to track personal activities and carry out financial fraud.Organizations also face multiple threats from several different kinds of non-malware threats. Phishing, for example, is one of the most common. Many companies choose to limit the possibility of malware and phishing attacks by ensuring systems are updated regularly, requiring all email attachments to be securely scanned, restricting removable media, and not allowing certain types of files to be received or sent by email.
A distributed denial of service attack makes some companies' online services unavailable by targeting numerous traffic sources to it from many sources and locations. This slows down the website response time and means that it cannot be accessed. This is usually done by planting malware on infected computers, and this can cause serious distractions and problems.
Corporate account takeover is another type of common cybersecurity attack that happens when cyber thieves impersonate a company and send unauthorized ACH or wire transactions. Unauthorized funds are then sent out to accounts that are controlled only by the cybercriminal.
An ATM cashout usually impacts medium-sized or smaller banks or credit unions. This involves substantial cash withdrawals from multiple ATMs in many regions.
Do I Have Legal Rights if I've Been Harmed in a Ransomware or Malware Attack?
If you have suffered any of the examples of cybersecurity threats, your business may experience lost trust from consumers. As an individual, your personally identifying information or personal health information could be leaked to other entities, and this can cause you numerous problems. This is why it is extremely important to communicate with class action lawyers, like those working at Morgan & Morgan.
In many cases, a class action lawyer is necessary because this involves the consolidation of numerous claims from multiple consumers, all of whom have been harmed by ransomware, malware, or other types of cybersecurity threats. These individuals come together to hold organizations responsible, such as a bank that failed to have appropriate security protocols or an institution that waited too long to inform consumers that their information had been leaked, giving those consumers minimal to no opportunity to respond and protect their details.
Communicating with a qualified class action lawyer may be the only way for you to recover compensation after a cybersecurity breach. To act now, contact Morgan & Morgan for a free, no-obligation case evaluation to learn how you can fight back.